Show-case or show-front.



No. 702,444. Patented :une 17, |9112.

c. F. Kuz.

SHOW CASE 0H SHOW FRONT.

(Application iiled May 10, 1901.) (N o M o d el.)

L1 M70/mir i UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

CHARLES E. KURZ, OE CLEVELAND, oI-Iro.

SHOW-CASE 0R eHow-FRONT.

SPECIFICATION formingipart of Letters Patent No. 702,444, dated June 17, 1902.

Application filed May 10, 1901. Serial No. 59,688. (No model.)

lowing to be a full, clear, and exact descrip-` tion of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in so-called allglass show-cases and showfronts. A

The object' of this invention is to reduce to a minimum the liability of the glass plates of the show-case or show-front to be broken by a pressure or strain accidentally or otherwise brought upon or against the said plates.

With this object in view, and to the end of greatly simplifying the m'eans employed to fasten the plates together, my invention consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure I is a View in perspective of a .so-called all`-glass show-case embodying myinvention. Fig. II isan enlarged vertical section on line II Il,

Fig. I, and illustrates the manner of attaching the top plate to the upright plates of the case. Fig. III is a top plan in section on any one of lines III III, Fig. I, and illustrates p the manner of fastening together the front plate and the end plates of the case. Fig. IV is a top plan in horizontal section, showing two glass plates of a show-front arranged at an angle to each other and fastened together according to my invention.

Referring to Fig. I of the drawings, a. designates the base of a show-case; b, the upright glass front or front plate of the case; c and c, the upright glass end plates of the case, and d the glass top or top plate of the case. The

-front plate b and end platesnc c are shown arranged vertically and assembled upon the base a. inany approved manner. The front plate preferably overlaps the forward edges of the end plates, as shown in Fig. III. The top plate preferably overlaps and projects 5o outwardly beyond the upper edges of the front plate and end plates, as shown in Fig. II.

' The means employed for attachingthe upright plates b and c of the show-case to the top plate d of the case and for holding the top plate down upon the plates c and b con1- prises several corresponding fastening def vices arranged a suitable distance apart along the upper edges of the said upright plates of the show-case, and one of the said fastening devices is shown very clearly in Fig. Il, upon reference to whichit will be observed that the said fastening device comprises a metallic strap e, having its opposite end portions 6 and 7 arranged at right angles to each other and abutting and secured to the inner side of the different plates assembled and held in their assembled position through the instrumentality of the fastening device comprising the said strap. The end portion 6 of the said strap, which engages or bears against the under or inner side of the top plate d, has a screw-threaded hole 8, engaged bya correspondingly-threaded screw f, which extends through a hole l0, formed in the top plate, and has its head 12 engaging or bearing against the outer side of the said plate. The end member 6 of the said strap forms, therefore, a nut which cooperates with the engaging screw f in securing the strap to the top plate. The other end member, 7, of the said strap,which engages or bears against the upright plate of the two plates held together by the said strap, forms an ear, being provided with a hole 13, through which extends a screw g, which extends through a hole 9, formed in the front plate b, and has its head 14 engaging or bearing against the outer side of the said upright plate, and a nut h is mounted upon the said screw g at the inner side of the ear-forming end member 7 of the aforesaid strap and cooperates with the screw g in securing the strap to the saidupright plate. 15, between its end members 6 and 7, so as to form a bow-shaped sprin g between. the said end members.

The simplicity of the hereinbefore described fastening means between the top plate and the upright plates is obvious. It will be observed that any blow or pressure upwardly upon the projecting portion of the top plate is not likely to result in the break The said strap bows inwardly, as at age of the said top plate or of the upright plates,because the spring-forming bow or central portion of the plate-fastening straps will adequately yield to such blow or pressure. The spring-forming members of the fastening-straps will obviously also yield to a blow or pressure edgewise upon the top plate or to a lateral blow or pressure upon the upright plates. The nut-forming member 6 of each strap terminates ashort distance from the inner side of the upright plate to which the said strap is secured, so that a space 11, as shown very clearly in Fig. II, shall be formed between the said upright plate and the said end member of the strap to accommodate a slight lateral displacement of the upright plate or an edgewise displacement forwardly and rearwardly of the top plate.

The means employed for attaching together the front plate and an end plate is illustrated in Fig. III and is substantially the same as the means employed in attaching the upright plates and the top plate of the show-case together-that is, the means employed for attaching two adjacent upright plates of the show-case together comprises, preferably, a plurality of corresponding fastening devices arranged a suitable distance apart vertically along the adjacent upright edges of the said plates, and one of the said fastening devices is shown Avery clearly in Fig. III, upon referenceto which it will be observed that the said fastening device comprises a metallic strap 7c, having its opposite end portions 16 and 17 arranged at right angles to each other and abutting and secured, respectively, to the inner side of the different plates assembled and held in their assembled position through the instrumentality of the fastening device comprising the said strap. The end portion 16 of the said strap k, which engages or bears against the inner side of the end plate c, has a screw-threaded hole 18, engaged by a correspondingly-threaded screw l, which extends through a hole 20, formed in the said end plate, and has its head 22 engaging or bearing against the outer side'of the said plate. The end member 16 of the said strap k forms, therefore, a nut which cooperates with the engaging screw l in securing the said strap to the said end plate. The otherl end member 17 of the said strap 7c, which engages or bears against the front plate b, forms an ear which is provided with a hole 23, through which loosely extends a screw m, which has its head 24 engaging or bearing against the outer side of the said front plate, and a nut 0 is mounted upon the said screw m at the inner side of the said member 17 of the said strap Zo and cooperates with the screw Z in securing the strap to the said front plate. The said strap 7c bows inwardly, as at 25, between its end members 16 and 17, so as to form a bow-shaped spring between the said end members. The central spring-forming portion of the said strap 7c obviously enables the fastening device formed by the said strap and the means employed in attaching it to the connected plates c and b to' adequately yield to any lateral blow or pressure against the said end plate and to there- Aby prevent such blow or pressure resulting in the breakage of or injury to the assembled plates. The said spring-forming portion of the strapk1 will obviously also yield to a blow or pressure endwise upon the front plate.

In fact, a show-case or show-front having its glass plates formed and fastened together by means embodying my invention is quite safe against a blow or pressure applied from any direction:

Fig. IV illustrates two upright plates of a show-window arranged at an obtnse'angle to each other, and r represents the front plate, and s the side plate, of this window. rlhe front plate r overlaps the adjacent upright edge of the side plate s, and the two plates r and s are attached together at their adjacent edges by means substantially the same as is employed in attaching together the two upright plates of the show-case, illustrated in Figs. I, II, and III. The front plate r of the show-window corresponds to the front plate b of the show-case, and the side plate s of the window corresponds to an end plate of the show-case. The same letters of reference applied to the members of the fastening means in Fig. III are applied to the corresponding members in Fig. IV. The fastening means illustrated in Fig. IV diers only from the fastening device shown in Fig. III in that the fastening device shown in Fig. IV has its end portions 16 and 17 arranged at an obtuse angle to each other to conform to the corresponding arrangement of the plates fr and s.

I would remark that my invention is not limited to the exact details of construction illustrated and described, but embraces, broadly, a show-case or show-front having two glass plates arranged at an angle to eachother and a metallic strap at the inner sides of the said plates, which strap is secured at opposite ends to the different plates, respectively, and has the central portion thereof bowed to form a spring.

1. In a show-case or show-front, the combination, with two glass plates arranged at an angle to each other with one of the said plates overlapping an edge of the other plate, of a fastening device instrumental in holding the said plates together and comprising a metal strap attached at opposite ends to the different plates, respectively, with the central portion of the straps of spring metal and bowed dlaterally, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a show-case or show-front, the combination, with an upright glass plate and a top plate resting upon and overlapping the upper edge of the said upright plate, of fastening devices for attaching the said top plate to the said upright plate, which fastening devices comprise, respectively, a metallic strap attached at opposite ends to the inner side of IIC the different plates, respectively, and having its central portion of spring metal bowed inwardly to form a spring, and the top-plateconnected end of the strap being separated a short distance from the upright plate, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a show-case or show-front, the combination, with an upright plate and a top plate form an ear, which strap is bowed inwardly between its ends so as to form` a spring, a screw extending through the top plate and engaging the hole in the nut-forming member of the strap and having a head arranged at the upper or outer side of the top plate, another screw extending through the` upright Aplate and through the hole in the ear-forming member of the strap and having a headlarranged at the outer side of the said upright plate, and a nut mounted upon the last-mentioned screw at the inner side of the strap..

Signed by me at Cleveland, Ohio, this Sth day of May, 1901.V

Witnesses:

C. H. DORER, A. H. PARRATT.

CHARLES F. KURZ. 

